Believe in Tomorrow
by Sayonara Yasashii Akumu
Summary: "All it takes is a little faith," she told him. His blue eyes snapped towards her and he waited for her to finish her thought. "And then we'll find our way home." Her confidence surprised him, and somehow he was comforted by that statement. OC involved
1. 00: Abintra

**Prologue: Abintra***

* * *

_They turn your eyes away from the lies and deception and let their bodies be tossed around_

* * *

She ran with all her might, trying to escape the demons that plagued her. Her long legs, scarred from the many thorns and bushes she encountered over the years, trembled at the strain of carrying her weight at the speed she was going. Her heart was palpitating like a thundering drum in her chest, alerting her of her fatigue.

Heavy footfalls and angry grunts alarmed the young teen that her pursuers were hot on her tail.

"You can't keep running forever _ragazza__*_! The dark demons Agramon* and Vetis* have already got a hold of your heart, and the holy beings Derdeka* and Amatiel* cannot save you this time! Just turn around and give us your money and we'll leave you be!"

"_Vatenni__*_, I don't have what you want!" the girl cried out angrily. She then stumbled on a sign that read 'Clockwork City' and hissed at her own fall.

'_I'm out of time.'_

* * *

_Nobody knows when, where and by whom their prayers will be heard_

* * *

He glared at the silver-haired man before him. His blue eyes burned with contempt, anger, and resentment. His grip on the large, key-like weapon tightened. He wanted his freedom so badly, but this- this idiot had to take it away from him.

Black spots began to dot his vision, and he knew his time was up when his limbs grew limp. The large weapon slid out of his hands before the silver-haired man let him fall to the world of darkness.

"I've accepted it."

* * *

_Do not be afraid of the cold, the pain, the goodbyes and the tears_

* * *

The boy floated seamlessly through the sky above the sea, the almost transparent chains surrounding his body waving softly in the wind. His eyes were closed as if in a deep sleep and his breathing was soft and rhythmic.

And for a moment, all was right.

* * *

_Awaken your life, carve out some proof that you were born in this world_

* * *

The red-haired girl stared longingly towards the horizon where a small tropical island lay. She clutched her bag closer to her heart as if it held all the answers she was seeking.

Why did it feel as if she had an aching hole in her memory? Try as she may, she could never find the answer.

So she'll wait by the beach like she's always done.

* * *

_If you want to find your true self and future, then take the cold, the pain, the goodbyes and the tears…_

* * *

The petite blonde had no idea what would happen to her after she finished linking the past, present, and future of the key. She fiddled nervously as she brainstormed the possibilities before picking up a blue color-pencil. Immediately, as if to soothe her thoughts, she colored in a vast blue sky on the parchment she held.

Would she disappear forever, or would she become whole?

As she contemplated a thought of resignation crossed her mind.

No matter what happens to her, at least she'll get to finally meet _him_.

* * *

_Smash them with your hands, and trample them under your feet_

* * *

"Stupid _ragazza_, had you listened to us earlier, then it wouldn't have had to come to this." A deep, baritone voice spoke from behind the fallen teen.

She cursed silently at her luck before she was forcibly pulled to her feet. Her demons had finally caught up to her.

"Now, where is the money? And don't play stupid with me, _bambina_*. We saw you walking out of the Basilica* with a suitcase before you ran." The man's comrade took his place in holding her in place while he began his interrogation.

"I don't have what you want!" She spat back, trying her hardest to cover her fear. Though she was skilled in combat, she was not able to summon her weapons to her side, as her hands were literally tied.

"_Mentire_*! And for your insincerity, you will be punished in darkness!" The ring-leader's voice echoed in the abandoned streetlight.

Without warning, a pool of black, ink-like clouds swept over the ground and headed to where the girl stood. Her eyes were wide with terror now and her limbs were locked in place with shock. The two men stepped back and cackled with satisfaction as the tangible darkness licked at her legs.

Slowly, the black umbra crawled up her knees and then with a sharp tug, she felt herself sink. There was nothing she could do to save herself and with a soft prayer to Derdeka, she closed her eyes to her world…

…with only the hope of one day returning.

* * *

_Even if your eyes dry up, in the raging storm, the desolate earth…_

* * *

The peaceful town was illuminated with the soft hues of the setting sun. Quiet good-byes were exchanged as the citizens headed off for their homes after a grueling day at work. None noticed the cloaked figure watching over them, nor the body he had slung over his shoulder.

Without a word, the shrouded man opened up an inky portal and stepped through.

* * *

…_search for the sun setting in the darkness_

* * *

**Translation:**

**ragazza**: Italian for 'girl'

**Agramon**: Demon of fear in the Christian religion

**Vetis**: Demon of corruption in the Christian religion

**Derdeka**: Female Angel of salvation, known as Supreme Mother or Drop in the Christian religion

**Amatiel**: Angel of the season Spring, plants seed of hope, rebirth, new beginnings, and positive expectations in the Christian religion

**vatenni**: Italian for 'get lost'

**bambina: **Italian for 'little girl'

**mentire****: **Italian for 'lie/you lie/to tell a lie'

**Basilica: **(from thefreedictionary . com)**1.** **a. **A public building of ancient Rome having a central nave with an apse at one or both ends and two side aisles formed by rows of columns, which was used as a courtroom or assembly hall.

**b. **A Christian church building of a similar design, having a nave with a semicircular apse, two or four side aisles, a narthex, and a clerestory.

**2. **_Roman Catholic Church_ A church that has been accorded certain privileges by the pope.

**Abintra**: Latin meaning 'the voice within/to express oneself'


	2. 01: Aestas Estas

**Chapter 1: ****Aestas****Estas***

**Warning!**

**This story contains OC and pairing will later be decided. Mainly, you might not see the pairing you like.**

"speaking"

_'thoughts'_

_hints of things to come_

**Emphasis**

OC's POV unless said otherwise

* * *

I gave a soft groan, feeling dirt beneath me. There were small swishes of the wind, but otherwise, all was quiet. I felt warm, thick fluid slowly slide down between my fingers, but didn't need look to see that it was blood. The scent was enough.

Feeling around with my other hand, the one not wounded, I came across a wall. Not wanting to get up, I decided to rest and wait until there was at least some sign of life.

I waited for a while, but then noticed the light that managed to penetrate my eyelids was neither fading nor growing. Finally giving up, I opened my eyes and tilted my head up slightly to see a beautiful sunset, or sunrise. Around me were dozens of trees and a large, gray wall. Twisting around a bit, I looked to see that there was a large hole in the wall, big enough for a teen to fit through at least.

Then, as fast as my drowsiness came, it was gone. Replacing the empty feeling was one of panic. I recognized nothing, and couldn't even see the churches of my home. Ignoring the pain in my legs, I stood up and looked around me while taking in the environment completely.

_'Damn! Where the hell am I? This isn't Clockwork City,' _I thought to myself.

I tried to reach out with my senses to see if a holy, or even demonic, presence was nearby. My face contorted in confusion when all I felt was emptiness. Waving it off, I made my way through the crack and found myself in a small, quaint town that was overseen by a large clock tower and surrounding hills. It was very beautiful and filled with the homey glow.

Not knowing what else to do, I began to walk around to get used to the mini city. People walked around calmly with no rush, much unlike those born and raised in a city. I stopped walking for a moment just to take everything in.

Around me was a cluster of shops as well as what looked like a working tram car. A few shops sold what looked like armor and weapons while the others sold medicines and jewelry. I shrugged at the odd taste of merchandise before my eyes caught sight of a streetlamp. I felt a slimmer of hope ignite within me before I made my way through the small crowd. I glanced up at the nameplate hanging from the light and was delighted with the name of the town.

_Twilight Town: Tram Common_

'_Huh. No other name suits this place better,'_ I reflected quietly.

I hitched a ride on the roof of the tram-car. The small vehicle lead to the various stores I saw earlier. I jumped off while using the ladder attached to the back of the car and made my way towards the building with the large pictures of what looked like bottles of medicine.

The person running the potion shop was very polite and patient when I gave a white lie and told her that I lost all of my memories; she then helped by explaining what everything was and did.

_'100 euros goes to the first person who wouldn't go wide-eyed at the giant popsicle-looking weapon that's being displayed. I mean seriously, I would eat that if it wasn't plastic.' _I chuckled softly at my own train of thought when I caught sight of a large, blue bat of some sort.

Then a loud, but pleasant noise caught my attention.

At the sound of laughing, I turned to see a group of four teens around my age who were buying from a shop that sold ice-cream. Remembering that I had yet to eat, and that the strange currency, 'munny,' was in my pocket, I made my way over to the same little store.

The brunette girl had jade eyes and some-what spiked hair-style, with an orange sleeve-less shirt and light Capri pants and sneakers. She looked up when I approached and her eyes widened slightly when she looked towards my hand.

"Oh! You're hurt," she said, gaining the attention of the boys by pointing. Since I was standing behind the three guys, they must have not noticed my presence.

"What are you talking about, Olette? We're all fine." The boy in the army pants and with blond hair had gone from laughing to confused. Olette, the girl, rolled her eyes once.

"Not you, her," she said, once again pointing behind the boys. I tilted my head to the side in slight confusion.

The boys turned around and jumped when they spotted me. The first to calm down was the slightly chubby one with dark brown hair and side-burns. The next was a spiky-haired blond with the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. The last to calm down was the camouflage wearing boy. Olette stepped up and gently took my hand, which was dirty from the dried blood from a while ago.

"Oh...that. I guess I kinda forgot I had it." I internally winced at how monotone my voice sounded.

"How can you forget something like that? Doesn't it hurt, I mean look at it! The cut's huge!" The chubby one crept closer to look at the gash.

"I don't really know. I just forget sometimes. I must have forgotten to wash and bandage it when I left that one store earlier..." I mentally nodded in satisfaction when I heard some emotion in my voice this time.

"Well, we'll just buy our ice-cream then bandage it for you! I'm Olette, nice to meet you...?" Olette had grabbed a napkin and dabbed the wound, waiting for a response.

"Oh. Vitalia at your service!" I grinned.

"Pence," the chubby stated with a friendly smile.

"Hayner," the sandy-blond said.

"I'm Roxas. It's nice to meet you Vitalia. Are you new here? I don't think I've ever seen you before." Hey, what do you know? It appears as though he's only sensible one to ask around here.

I gave a laugh as Olette ordered five sea-salt ice-creams, whatever that is, while listening in as well. Pence and Hayner also stared curiously.

"Ne, you could say that I just woke up and I was here. Weird huh?" The teens grew surprised and confused.

"You just woke up here?" Pence asked, a skeptical expression crossing his face.

"Yes. It's strange isn't it? I remember stumbling right outside of a large church… and then I just woke up outside in the woods. Then again, stranger things have happened to me." '_Like waking up one morning finding out that my lamp was nailed to the ceiling. That was, by far, the strangest thing to wake up to.' _My thoughts continued on, even with the stares that Roxas and Olette were giving me.

"You can stay with Roxas." Hayner said out of the blue.

"Huh?" Both the blue-eyed boy and I turned to stare at the blonde.

"I mean, you said you just woke up in the woods, right? That means you have no place to stay, Roxas doesn't have parents to nag him, and he has another room, so you can stay with him," Hayner responded calmly.

Olette stood thinking for a few minutes, processing what was said. Pence shrugged it off while I stood with Roxas, going over what was said. In the end, Olette, Pence, and Hayner gave Roxas a strange smile before said blonde gave a sigh and raised his hands up in defeat.

"All right. Vitalia, you don't mind if you stay with me, do you?" He turned his cerulean eyes towards me.

"Um, I guess I could if it's alright with you." I said, a small smile appearing in place of the confused frown that I had. Roxas only grinned in return.

"It's getting late. We should head home now." Olette said after the little exchange I had with Roxas.

"She's right. Well, see you all tomorrow?" Pence asked, taking small steps away from our group.

"Yeah, let's go guys." With that, Hayner pulled Olette and Pence down the hill, towards the houses that I had passed by earlier in the day.

Roxas waved before he turned to give me a sheepish smile. "I guess we'll be heading out now."

"Sure. Oh, and if it's messy, don't worry. I'm used to it, seeing as I practically lived with my friend who couldn't clean worth crap." I smiled, stepping in place next to him. Our hands occasionally brushed against each other, but we brushed it off while chuckling lightly.

* * *

**Olette's POV**

We watched the two teens walk off, laughing, towards Roxas' two-room apartment.

"Man, Roxas' is lucky he's stuck with the hot strawberry blond. To top it off, she's nice, got a sense of humor, has blue eyes, and has great body too!" Hayner complained next to me.

I smacked him behind his head. "Then why'd you suggest she go with him?" I asked. Pence laughed in agreement.

"I thought she would decline, ya' know?" He whined slightly. I just gave a sigh as we began our trek home.

* * *

**Translations**

**Aestas**** Estas: **Latin for 'summer'


	3. 02: Acceptus

**Chapter 2: ****Acceptus*******

**Warning: This story contains OCs, and the main pairing hasn't been decided yet. Technically, you might not see the pairings you like. **

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

_Things to come_

**Emphasis**

OC's POV unless said otherwise**.**

* * *

_For the most part, I enjoyed staying with the group of teenagers. All too soon though, I realized that things were not as they seemed._

* * *

I ran lightly with Roxas to the Usual Spot where we usually met up with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. I had accidentally overslept which caused both the blond and I to leave at a later time.

'_Oh, Hayner is going to have a fit once he finds out I overslept…again. But seriously though, why do we have to meet up at 9:00 A.M? It's ridiculous!' _I thought, the morning not making it any easier. It was thirty minutes past nine already, too.

Roxas began to laugh lightly. I turned and gave him one of my confused smiles before I realized that I might have spoken out loud like the many times I'd done before. My shoulders slumped slightly before I gave a sheepish grin.

"You really think_ that's_ early? You should see him on his _early_ days." He gave another chuckle seeing my expression go dark.

"If he even tries to get me there before eight, I'll personally dig his damn grave for him!" My teeth grinded together as the blue-eyed boy laughed again.

We began to turn to the Sandlot—a shortcut—before an annoyingly arrogant voice spoke up behind us. I turned to stare at a tall, blond-haired teen with a scar across his face. He wore a beanie on his head, a white coat, a blue shirt, and pants. There were three others with him. A silver-haired girl, a tall and tan boy, and a small child-like person lined up as if they were his pupils.

"Hmph. You better move along, losers."

I pondered who the male blond could be while Roxas frowned at him.

"Yeah, y'know? You wouldn't want to keep the rest of the losers waiting." The big brunette spoke from the side of the blonde.

"Ah, wait, a new girl? It's sad that you guys are turning her into another loser." The blond smirked lightly while the girl, who I know as Fuu, gave a slight frown. I bumped into her when I first arrived here. Though she barely speaks, she was the one who told me about the town.

"What do you know? Plus we're not losers!" Roxas spoke in anger, stepping in front of me.

"Don't disrespect Seifer, y'know?" The bulky teen stated directly towards Roxas and I.

Ah, so that was his name. My fingers began to twitch when they lightly brushed against Roxas' own hands. I looked beside me to where he stood taller about two inches. He spoke something to Seifer, but I was too busy noticing things about the blond that I hadn't already.

"Let's go, Vitalia. We wouldn't want the others waiting any more than they already have."

My eyes snapped to the direction of where Roxas had walked to when I spaced out. "Aw, I was hoping to at least teach them not to insult us. Can I please?" I asked sweetly. I felt my legs pulse at the mere thought of being able to use them to kick butt.

"Fine, but don't hurt them too bad… like those last guys." He must be talking about those perverts who smacked Olette on her bum, then tried hitting on both of us in front of Hayner, Pence and Roxas. Let's just say they won't be home soon. As in, they're stuck in bleached-white rooms, if you know what I'm saying.

The two arrogant teens laughed. Fuu only gave a sigh before wisely stepping back with the small person.

"Fuu, Rai, Vivi, can you believe this girl? She thinks she can even lay a finger on me! That's hilarious!" The "boss" kept laughing, now joined in with Rai, the big oaf.

He has another thing coming though.

Swiftly, with a cat's stealth, I slipped in-between Rai and Seifer. As they continued to laugh, I dropped down and planted my hands on the ground. Before they noticed, I lifted my feet from the ground, split my legs, and used my hands to spin in a full 360, kicking them across the chest. They abruptly ceased laughing; the blonde stumbled and fell while the jock tumbled immediately with the force of gravity.

"What goes up must come down!" I sang, laughing merrily as the two stood up.

Before they could blink, I stood and kneed both of them where the sun doesn't shine and stepped back into place beside Roxas. Fuu gave a small gasp while the kid's eyes only widened. I only giggled at the moans emanating from the two guys and turned to my friend who wasn't surprised.

"I'd say that was a bit too much with the kneeing..."

I shrugged off Roxas' comment and continued on as if it were only the two of us at the moment. "Roxas, I think we should go now. Hayner's most likely throwing a hissy fit by now." He nodded happily while we turned and made our way to the Usual Spot.

* * *

"Can you believe it? It's just a load of bull! They're making us out like the Klepto Club! I bet Seifer blamed us for it too." The straw-blond shook in fury while we sat silently listening to his rants. "Have you ever been this ticked off in your life? 'Cause I haven't! Nuh-uh! NEVER! Now... what to do."

"That's just sad, blaming it all on us when we don't even know what happened." I spoke in monotone, not noticing how Pence flinched every time I spoke that way.

"What do you suggest we do?" Olette asked quietly.

The situation began to remind me of when I used to get into trouble with my brother back in the old days. I began to zone out into those memories, not noticing that my surroundings changed. The world grew darker until it was blanketed by a sea of black ink.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe clearly. It was as if something was clutching tightly to my throat, and I began to panic. Realizing that it would only endanger me, I began to calm down as best as I could.

All I could see was darkness. I strained my eyes trying to find something when I caught a flash and suddenly, golden letters appeared along with the faint sound of music.

_Thinking of you wherever you are._

The hold on my neck lessened, and I gasped for the precious oxygen. The sentence dissolved into shining dust, leaving more in its leave.

_We pray for our sorrows to end,_

_and hope that our hearts will blend_

_Now I will step forward to realize this wish_

The process was repeated again.

_And who knows:_

_starting a new journey may not be so hard_

_or maybe it has already begun_

The words...they sound so familiar, but I can't place a thought on it. I looked on, waiting for the scene to continue, but it never did.

Instead, I blinked and found myself back in the Usual Spot with the rest of the gang.

Pence had kneeled down in front of an old, beat-up box full of memories. He was rummaging around and then his movements had quickened as if he was frantically searching for something. We were peering at him curiously when he finally gave up and looked towards the rest of us.

"Oh no! Our — are gone!" Pence gave a sharp intake of breath while clutching his neck as if he were choking. He had been searching the boxes for their last pictures of when they went to the beach the year before.

"All our —, gone?" Hayner gasped as well. His face twisted to one of slight panic when he could get the word out of his mouth with the rest of the sentence.

"You can't say — why not?" Olette mimicked Pence's actions as well.

"But you do understand what I'm saying, right? Our — are gone!" Pence looked as if he was about have a panic-attack.

"Stolen...And not just the —, the word —! They stole IT, too!" Roxas gave a sigh. I lifted a delicate eyebrow and crossed my arms in thought.

'_What kind of person…or thing… could be capable of making a word not be said? This is very strange. It couldn't have been a demon…could it?_'

As I pondered my thoughts, I hadn't noticed that only Roxas and I remained in our positions thinking deeply.

* * *

*Roxas' P.O.V*

I pondered over who or what the thief could be. It almost reminded me of the strange dreams I've been having about the boy, Sora, and his two companions.

Movement from the curtains drew my attention away from my thoughts and I quickly jumped up from my spot.

"All right, time for some recon!" Hayner ran off with Pence and Olette trailing after him. I began to run after them as well, hoping for some distraction from the blue-eyed boy.

"Huh?" I staggered as the world warped around me. My head felt as if it was banged against the wall a couple of times before a dizzy spell hit me. I collapsed to the floor, seeing darkness begin to cloud my vision. Without warning, a voice spoke:

_"His heart is returning. Doubtless he'll awaken very soon."_

* * *

*Vitalia's POV*

I blinked as I realized that Roxas had collapsed.

"Roxas...?" I bent down to his level and shook his shoulder for a response.

I heard a low moan before the blond began to move to get up. I stood up in front of him, ready to catch him if he fell again.

"Huh?" The teen wore a very confused expression, fueling my concern over my friend.

"Roxas, 'Talia, c'mon." Olette spoke from behind me. I gave a slight nod, still not over what had just occurred.

Soon we made it to the Sandlot, where sure enough, Seifer and his gang were hanging out. Rai, Fuu, and Vivi -the little person I met earlier- were stationed in front of a bulletin board, where the ranks for the future Struggle Tournament were to be written on. Vivi, who had been the only one facing our direction as we approached, jumped and pointed in our direction. The other three turned around and frowned.

"Thieves." Fuu hissed quietly. From what I learned, the girl likes to keep to her one-word sentences.

"That was low, y'know!" Rai, the giant stereo-type, used his arms as emphasis while Vivi only adjusted his—er her?—hat.

(By giant stereo-type, just look at him; all brawn and no brains!)

"Oh yeah? /Is that so?" Both Hayner and I spoke at the same time, making what we said sound somewhat like a jumble of words.

Noticing my presence, Rai gave an almost unnoticeable step back.

"Nice comeback there, Blondie" Seifer, the leader of the Disciplinary Committee, walked casually towards us. I suppose he was speaking to Hayner since Seifer didn't even acknowledge me. This of course, enraged the said blond.

"What'd you say?" The angered teen (Hayner) held out a fist and growled, though it sounded more like a grunt.

"You can give us back the — now."

I almost wanted to laugh at how Seifer couldn't say the word —. ! You can't think it either? What a load of bull...

"Yeah! You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?"

I held my laughter in again because of the way the buff guy said it, but on the other hand I felt a slight spark within.

"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers," another spark. "So what did you do? Burn it?" Seifer began to circle us like a vulture, and try to intimidate us.

"'Lamers' isn't even a word," I growled lowly. The blond must have either not heard it, or chose to ignore me.

What am I, chopped liver to this dude just because I kicked him in the crotch?

"Ha! Not that we need some — to prove that you're losers." I felt a small fire grow at his words. Seifer is starting to go too far.

"Replay!" The way Fuu said it made me want to smack her, which is not unlike me.

"Now you're talking!" Seifer gave a mechanical laugh then the group got into battle-stances, including my friends.

I stood still, knowing that Roxas was strong enough to prove that Seifer was going to lose.

"I guess if you get on your knees and beg, MAYBE I'll let it slide."

That. Arrogant. JERK!

I then turned my eyes to my surroundings, looking for some kind of weapon. Too soon, I found the struggle bats at a walking distance. From my peripheral vision, I noticed that Roxas relaxed and took a few steps in front of Seifer. Hayner reached out, as if to stop him, but Roxas continued.

The opposing group began to laugh as Roxas kneeled down, but I saw that he kept his eyes to the direction of the weapons.

"Roxas!" Hayner yelled in disbelief.

"Let him be. He knows exactly what he's doing," I spoke in a hushed voice.

Surprising both groups, Roxas quickly dashed to a bat and engaged in a battle with Seifer.

"Roxas, focus!" Pence exclaimed as support.

"Come on. Quit playing around and fight." Seifer smirked at his own remark.

I watched with a smile as Roxas dodged and counter-attacked his opponent's blows. I felt my smile grow with the battle. I felt a warm feeling go through my body, but it was gone before I had time to ponder. Soon, the battle grew boring so I began to think about my past, and all that has happened to make me into who I was today. (That's another story for later.)

I was distracted enough not to notice the shifting in my surroundings, similar to what had happened earlier.

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts, hearing the eerie silence that wasn't there in the beginning. I looked around to see that I was left alone.

"Are you done daydreaming yet?" That teasing voice...where have I heard it before?

"Hey! Are you listening?" I jumped, swiftly turning around only to bump into a hard chest. I blinked multiple while trying to kill the haze that set upon my mind.

"Huh?" I tilted my head up, only to stumble back in shock.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." I felt myself tremble with the many emotions that passed through my mind, but I could only grasp that the person standing in front of me was not supposed to be in Twilight Town. Then I gasped, realizing that I was in my uniform and on the rooftop of my school, the place where I used to always hang out with my friends.

"Hey, Vitalia? Say something, you're starting to creep me out." I tried to concentrate on anything but the rough voice coming from the tall, orange-haired teen. The voice...why did it sound so unfamiliar now?

My mind suddenly blanked. I couldn't think of anything else that didn't have to do with the teen and the strange feeling of emptiness that flitted through me when I glance at him, he whom I hadn't seen or spoken to in a single month. I breathed in, letting all thoughts go.

"Brother..."

* * *

**Translation(s):**

**Acceptus****: **Latin for 'welcome, agreeable, pleasant'


	4. 03: Oblivio

**Chapter 3: Oblivio***

**Warning: This story contains OCs, and the main pairing hasn't been decided yet. Technically, you might not see the pairings you like. **

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

_**'Spirit speaking' **_

_Things to come_

**Emphasis**

**Remember, the story will always start off in Vitalia's POV unless stated otherwise.**

* * *

**Previously:**

_"Hey, Vitalia? Say something; you're starting to creep me out." I tried to concentrate on anything but the rough voice coming from the tall, orange-haired teen. The voice...why did it sound so unfamiliar now?_

_My mind suddenly blanked. I couldn't think of anything else that didn't have to do with the teen and the strange feeling of emptiness that flitted through me when I glance at him, he whom I hadn't seen or spoken to in a single month. I breathed in, letting all thoughts go._

_"Brother..."_

* * *

**Current Time:**

After uttering that single word, my eyes began to sting with the prickling sensation of the gathering tears. Something was wrong with this picture. As if fate decided that I was a mere marionette in this drama labeled 'life,' I found that I could no longer control my body and words.

"I'm afraid, Sandro. The demons are more restless." I heard myself mutter towards the older teen. Said teen only sighed and leaned against the fence, neither smiling nor frowning. His mouth was set in a thin line.

(Demons are one kind of spirits out of three: Angels, plus-or-minus spirit, and Demons. Demons are usually spiteful and corrupt the innocence of a world. Surprisingly, a lot of demons are actually fallen angels- the angels who have done a crime and have fallen from grace. The rule most people follow is to never speak a demon's name lest you wish it in your house. )

"You worry too much. It'll be fine _bambina_*," Sandro responded after a few minutes of the strangling silence.

"How exactly are you sure?" Once again, I could not control my actions.

"Do you doubt me?" For a split second, his voice wasn't the normal tune I normally heard. Instead, it was angry and inverted.

That inverted voice... I remember that it had always scared me, even to this day; the voice of the monster within my brother. I shook the depressing thoughts off when Sandro began to speak again, and this time his normal, rough voice heard.

"Listen, no matter what happens—," there was a sudden static, like a television losing its signal, "—I'll—pr—ect yo—from—. I pro—se." His voice became distant, and soon, I found myself in a battlefield.

My mind went into haywire. I finally understood what was happening; I was inside of my memories. Specifically, these are memories from when the people of my world first began to harness the power of the spirits and demons.

"It's the end, demon!" I found myself racing forward, slicing all that stood in the way of my blades. "You will not be victorious! Your kind will never rule!" There was static again, and the battle was replaced by a graveyard.

"Hey mom, I guess it's really been a year since I became a soul-warrior with Sandro. The battles are finally over... but the number of people we lost…it was too much-" The static cut off my own words, and as if watching a television turn off, my vision turned black.

* * *

*With Roxas, third person*

After successfully beating Seifer, Roxas turned around to his group of friends. He blinked, noticing that Vitalia, the hyper person of the group, wasn't paying attention. In fact, it seemed as if she were in a trance.

Noticing that the normally smart and sarcastic girl wasn't speaking, Olette turned towards the strawberry blonde. The brunette called out softly to the puppet-like girl, only to frown when there was no response. Hayner and Pence both snapped their fingers to try and gain her attention, but failed.

Then, without warning, Vitalia collapsed. The teens called out to her in concern.

Silently, Roxas picked the girl up into his arms and walked with his friends to their Usual Spot. All four wore expressions of worry for the girl.

* * *

*In a dark place lit with computer screens, third person*

"Is the anomaly taken care of?" A deep voice spoke from in front of one of the many computer monitors.

There was a quiet ruffle of leather as a darkly-cloaked figure stepped away from the shadows of the room. The figure was tall and muscular, his face shadowed by both a hood and the room's dim light. The male shifted once more before he spoke.

"She is asleep."

* * *

*Later, Vitalia's POV still third person*

'_**You are forgetting about where we came from Vitalia!' **_A soft, melodious voice spoke from the teen's inner mind.

_**'This will not benefit us at all. You have forgotten the memories that have just passed through you. If you continue in this place...I'm afraid that you will not remember much more than that.' **_A deeper voice that harmonized with the voice that spoke before took their turn in speaking.

_'W-what? I'm losing my memories?' _Vitalia thought, her voice filled with slight panic.

_**'No, you are merely forgetting.' **_The deep man's voice penetrated her inner mind once more.

* * *

*Roxas' POV first person*

She's been lying still for the last couple of hours. I just sat there, not knowing what to do, and that angered me. I couldn't protect my friend by whatever took her away from our world of the living.

"How is she?" Olette asked from the entrance of the Usual Spot. She had gone home to tell her parents that she'd be staying late. Hayner and Pence had yet to return from their own houses.

I glanced at the wall, where a small, almost unnoticeable clock hung. It was well past dinner time, and I gave a long sigh.

"It's been four hours, and she still hasn't woken up yet. It's like she's sleeping or something." I held back another sigh as the curtain flew open.

"Anything yet?" Hayner spoke loudly, making me cringe.

"No. I... I wonder what could have made her like this." Olette sat down glumly, her face down-cast.

"I just hope she wakes up soon." Pence's voice startled us from the entrance behind Hayner.

"Yeah... I hope." I couldn't help it though... feeling like today was the last time I'd see her smiling and laughing for a long while.

* * *

*Vitalia's POV third person*

The young teen's eyes dilated with the foreign light penetrating her colored eyes. She glanced around her and gave a long, drawled-out sigh. She was at her school in Clockwork City, her hometown. Her hope of waking soon was stumped when she was taken back to her old, painful memories after talking to the male counterpart of her spirit sword.

(Spirit Sword: A sword created by Primo Machiavelli twenty years ago. The weapon was one in a series of many that are used to harness the power of spirits to battle. Spirit weapons are only known to harness two spirits at a time, though even then the spirits must be willing to share space for the rest of their existence.

Spirit Weapon: a special kind of weapon that harnesses the powers of one to two spirits for combat or the exorcism of demons. )

"Look... there's one of the school geeks! Don't get near her, I heard her brother's a demon-holder!" a girl 'whispered' loudly to her friend as they walked passed Hoshi.

(Demon-holders: People who have somehow acquired a demon for their spirit weapon. This is uncommon, fairly recent, and rare. Plus and minus spirits usually end up being consumed by the demon, which makes harmony between the two very hard to come by.

Plus Spirit: A 'positive' spirit that is usually helpful in tasks. Most plus spirits include water, light, and a few earth spirits, and are considered the opposite of 'minus' spirits.

Minus Spirits: A 'negative' spirit that is usually more destructive than helpful. They are normally the best for combat purposes. Most minus spirits include fire, wind, dark, and a few earth spirits.)

Her heart stung. She never did have any friends back then because most of her old ones were in her brother's grade. Well, she did have _one_, but he had passed away from a sickness.

"Yo, Vitalia!" The present-time Vitalia, who was trapped inside her younger and naive self could only watch with melancholy eyes.

The younger turned to the direction she was called from and smacked into the hard chest of her brother, Sandro.

"Ugh, how many times to I have to tell you not to stand this close to people unless you want to get raped?" The younger drawled on in a slightly annoyed and teasing tone.

"Huh? When did you say that?" The older boy gave a grin that was only reserved for his family.

"Jerk," was all the younger replied, though a smile played a tune on her face.

Both the strawberry blonde and orange-haired teen laughed lightly as they made their way home, Vitalia's pain only slightly forgotten.

* * *

*Few Days later*

The older Vitalia cried in frustration and pain as the unwanted memories began to replay themselves like a broken record, the most painful one being of her brother repeatedly dying in front of her own very eyes. She wished for nothing more, other than to return to the blissful naivety of Twilight Town. The perfect little town was the only thing in her mind at the moment keeping her sane.

_'Was this what Gin and Kin were warning me about? Is this pain that comes with forgetting and remembering? But what am I to believe in? What if these memories aren't really my own? I'm so confused... Now I'm beginning to doubt my wake in tomorrow. Why won't this end?' _Vitalia thought while once again watching the blood splatter across her pale cheeks, over, and over, and over again.

Her inner tears were beginning to drown her now. She couldn't take seeing these fragments over and over again.

Vitalia was to her neck in tears. She could no longer tell how long she had been 'asleep', and she could no longer believe that she would wake soon.

The pain was almost unbearable, and the teen had long-since given up on trying to call out to her plus and minus spirits. She remembered what Gin*, the male, had said to her before she was ripped out of her inner world...

* * *

(Flash back)

_**'No, you are merely forgetting.' **_

_The deep man's voice penetrated her inner mind once more._

_'What?'_

_**'You must listen, Vitalia Jophiel. This world... this world is causing our world to grey. Something sinister lies here, and it is nothing compared to a demon's darkness! You must be absolutely careful! There is no doubt that the darkness is already affecting you in a negative way!' **__The woman spoke in a frantic tone, her melodious voice shuttering with every other syllable. _

_'Kin*...Are you sure? I haven't sensed any of it at all!'_

_**'Young one, the darkness is growing within you. This tainted darkness is feeding off of your memories. Be aware, and careful! You must—'**_

_His voice was gone. Vitalia's inner world began to collapse in on itself, and the young woman found herself falling into the gray abyss that was slowly being tainted black..._

* * *

(End flashback)

The strawberry blonde quietly sobbed her eyes red and puffy.

Slowly, the images being projected to her were slowing down, as if a computer where beginning to become corrupt. The female Jophiel never noticed, even when her body began to fade in the growing gray light.

She was to awaken soon.

* * *

*? POV first person*

I gave a light 'tsk', watching the young girl who had captured to attention of my best friend. No, 'girl' was the wrong term. She was more of a vixen.

"Hmmm... Vitalia Jophiel huh? I wonder how you'll react when you find that you are the only one to remember Roxas." I gave a slow, meaningless chuckle.

Xigbar chose the right target.

And the darkness couldn't have found a better host.

* * *

**END CHAPTER**

**Translations:**

**Oblivio: **Latin for 'forgetfulness, oblivion'

**Bambina: **Italianfor '(little) girl'

**Basilica: **Roman Catholic Church

**Gin: **Japanese for 'silver'

**Kin: **Japanese for 'gold'


	5. title too long to fit: part 1

**Holy crap, It's been like...FOREVER. I kind of lost this chapter, and then I found it again on my flashdrive. ._.U**

**Akumu: Aloha! o.o *ducks under table at flying projectiles coming her way* **

**Hoshi:... I'm not even going to bother commenting.**

**Roxas: ...**

**Riku: Where in the name of hell were you?**

**Akumu: Eek! *flinches* I know there's no excuse for not updating in three whole months...but I was BUSY! Five orchestra concerts, AND rehearsals; six projects for school; computer problems; and auditions for my new school! Urk... I'm sorry! *EDIT* Ummm...I wrote this in May...so THESE last three months have been me being lazy and trying to get inspired...**

****EDIT2** Ah ha….. high school is hard. Especially in my advanced school D':**

**Sora: Before any one mauls the author, let's continue!**

**Hoshi: Here's the title, since it was too long to fit!:**

**Chapter Four: **

_Awakening the Truth: The End to a Beginning_** Part 1**

**Roxas: Akumu would like to thank everyone who reviewed and her beta for putting up with her erratic updates. She would also like to thank the people who have alerted and favorite her during her long absence. Even Aki updated before her! **_**Twice**_** too!**

**Sora: That's….that's just sad right there.**

**Hoshi: DISCLAIMER:**

**Akumu: I DO NOT OWN Kingdom Hearts, it belongs to Tetsuya Nomura while the Bleach 'world' belongs to Tite Kubo. You will barely see or hear from the Bleach world in the long-run anyways. (This is why this story is not in the crossover section.) Oh! And before I forget, anything that was not correctly explained, or if you want a better explanation to a few things, look them up in wiki~!**

**Warning: This story contains OCs, and the main pairing hasn't been decided yet. Technically, you might not see the pairings you like.**

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

**'Zanpakuto/Voice speaking'**

_Things to come_

**Emphasis**

**Remember, the story will always start off in Hoshi's POV unless stated otherwise. BTW: This chapter is mostly flashback, some things you should already know since you most likely played the game!**

**

* * *

**

_Last Time_:

_*POV first person*_

_I gave a light 'tsk', watching the young girl who had captured to attention of my best friend. No, 'girl' was the wrong term. She was more of a teen who had a rough life._

_"Hmmm... Hoshi Kurosaki huh? I wonder how you'll react when you find that you are the only one to remember Roxas." I gave a slow, meaningless chuckle._

_Xigbar chose the right target._

_And the darkness couldn't have found a better host._

_

* * *

_

**Plop, plop**

_'Huh?'_

**Plop, plop**

Slowly, the pitter-patter began to grow. My clothes began to stick to my body from the soft rain. I felt puddles gather around me, and slowly, my eyes began to open.

_'Where...am I?' _

I sat up slowly, as to not force on dizziness. There was a dull ache in my head, but I ignored it as I began to survey my surroundings. _'Oh...I'm no longer in Twilight Town, am I?'_

My thoughts went unanswered. The sky was of a purplish hue and the buildings were dark and illuminated black by the neon lights. There was a tall skyscraper that surpassed the other buildings in height. I was sitting in front of the massive thing, silently willing the rain to stop.

**'Young one... You will embark on a difficult journey. A journey in which your normal powers do not work. You cannot be in your spirited form to wield your swords.' **

"Huh? Who—who are you?" My voice was shaky and hoarse from crying, or from screaming; I had no idea.

I didn't recognize the voice as Kin, or Gin, my two Zanpakuto spirits. This voice was a mix between male and female, and had an air of one who is incredibly wise. I was startled from my thoughts when the voice broke through again.

**'You must wake soon. Your journey shall begin once the merge is complete, and you shall figure your style of fighting then as well.'**

"You didn't answer my question! And what do you mean? I can no longer turn into a shinigami*?" I shook my strawberry blonde hair away from my eyes as I began to survey the area again to try and spot the voice.

**'Your light is tainting... you must leave the world soon or they shall be lost... Now, awaken!'**

I never got the chance to try and decipher what the voice was saying because a blinding light surrounded me. All too soon though, a blanket of ebony embraced my sight.

_There are many worlds,_

_But they share the same sky._

_One sky, one destiny..._

_

* * *

_

***Roxas' POV first person***

Lately, my dreams have been getting more weird and complicated, and on top of that, Hoshi still hasn't woken up! All of these thoughts are confusing me, and I just don't know what to do with myself lately. The thief was one of the happenings that instigated the jumble that my head's become.

The thief turned out to be an odd creature that danced around. A few times I found myself growing angry and frustrated when it wouldn't hold still. Then this random, giant key appeared in my hands… the same one that the boy in my dreams uses.

When I used the giant key, it felt natural. But it doesn't make any sense at all! The kid in my dreams uses it, not me! Why would I be the one to suddenly wield it? Sheesh, I'm almost starting to sound like one of those things Olette tells me about: a Gary-Sue.

After swinging around the… weapon, I quickly got to work in beating the crap out of the white thing. The strangest thing was that when I stabbed through it, it faded away and left a bunch of pictures floating around.

To say in the least, I was very surprised. Why would the thing steal photos? When I glanced through the pictures, more questions rose up in my head along with a little voice singing, 'awkward' over and over again.

I was in every single picture.

I shuddered when a particularly alarming thought crossed by me. What if it had been looking for me? At times like these, I wish Hoshi was awake. She'd know what to do. Yes I'm admitting that I need a girl's help. Better yet, I need a girl who is scarier and a bit smarter than most guys to help me, and who to be the more perfect candidate then Hoshi?

Just imagining her being here… I bet she'd say, "Don't worry about it and just concentrate on the tournament coming up." And then she'd laugh, pick up the scattered pictures, poke me in the forehead, then run off to god-knows-where.

But she wasn't there, and I had to solve most of it by myself, even as the struggle tournament passed by.

(Struggle is like sword fighting, but only with giant blue popsicle-like sticks. The rules are different too. Instead of first one down loses, it's first one with the most ball points wins. Oh! I forgot to mention that in Struggle, you wear a helmet and pads with one hundred blue or pink colored balls attached. The two competitors face each other for a full minute, trying to get the most balls. At the end of the full minute, or when a player loses all his or her balls, the announcer tells the crowd who won. That's pretty much all there is to Struggle, other than that there's an annual tournament.)

I competed against Seifer, Hayner, Vivi, and Setzer. In the first round, I was up against Hayner.

Hayner was, of course, still angry at me. You see, the day before, I ran around town trying to get to the mansion. (This was of course because a blonde girl told me to go there for answers.) when the weird creatures came after me. Then I heard Seifer trying to defend himself and left to help him out. By the time I got to the Sandlot, Seifer's place, he and his gang were tired and cornered. The blonde girl in a white dress stood watching from the building behind us. She shouted to use the 'Keyblade'. That's when things got weirder.

* * *

***flash back***

_Not knowing how to summon the key-like weapon, I held my arms up in defense. I felt myself shout as a bright light consumed the area. Opening my eyes to squint, I found myself in a new place. I was standing on tainted glass that held a large picture of Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy and a short-haired girl. The theme was a tropical island, but that was the least of my worries. Three weapons had appeared; a sword, a shield, and a staff. The three were different in color and size, but had the same symbol of three circles squished together to make a mouse's head. (This was almost the same as when I had my first dream, only this was weirder because it has no doves...)_

_**'You must choose wisely.'**_

_A voice spoke from the nothingness that surrounded the area. _

_Cautiously, I stepped towards the sword, and held it in my grasp._

_**'The power of the warrior; invincible courage; a sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?'**_

_I nodded silently, somehow knowing that the voice could tell what my answer is. The sword disappeared in an array of flashing lights._

_**'Your path is set. Now what will you give up in exchange?' **_

_I walked slowly towards the staff, and then turned my head towards the shield. I contemplated quietly, and decided to give up the one that sounded more unappealing. I picked up the blue and silver staff, quietly waiting for the voice._

_**'The power of the mystic. Inner strength... A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you give up?' **_

_I slowly shook my head, wanting to see the shield before I do anything else. I took a step back when the wand-like staff reappeared before me, and began a slow trek towards the black and red shield._

_**'The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends... A shield to repel all. Is this the power you give up?'**_

_I set the shield down, not bothering to answer. Quickly, and silently, I made my way towards the staff again. This time I didn't hesitate._

_**'You've chosen the power of the Warrior. You've given up the power of the Mystic. Is this the form you choose?'**_

_"Y-yes!" There was a bright light, in which the weapons disappeared silently. The Keyblade suddenly appeared in my hands, and I stared at it in wonder._

_There was a sound of light footsteps, one that you would normally hear when a person stumbles. I whirled around, ready for what was to come. The white beings danced swiftly around me, seemingly taunting me with their zipper mouths opening and closing in a laughing manner. Side-stepping away from an attack that came to my left, I slashed forward to the thing in front of me. It reared back in pain and I rolled away from the other three. _

_"Who's laughing now, huh?" I mocked quietly. As if in a fit of rage, the creature that I struck flew towards me in an arc, clearly trying to slice up my mid-section. Scoffing, I blocked with slight difficulty as the others soon began to help their comrade. With a huff, I managed to push off the initial attacker and heave myself to the right, where there was plenty of open space and was out of their sight. Taking their confusion as a chance, I slashed through the white being closest to me, hopefully causing it great damage._

_I groaned in pain when I felt something slash my back, which had been left unguarded. I stumbled to the side, and quickly came to realize in horror that I was at the edge of the platform. My four opponents flew towards me in an attempt to throw me off, but I dodged and somersaulted forward. I glared hotly at them and charged forward to slash at them wildly. Surprisingly, I nailed two of them and they disappeared in a graying light. The two remaining didn't take their friends' defeat so well, much to my horror. _

_(This is a lesson to all who are listening; never go in a fight like a maniac unless you have a chainsaw because you WILL get seriously hurt!)_

_They charged at me and one managed to slip behind me. I quickly realized that in order to take out one, I'd have to get hurt first. I slid forward and slashed at the white thing's mid-section, then followed it with a combo of slashing the thing twice in diagonals. It twitched horribly before it faded like its previous friends. _

_I felt three slashes to my already wounded back, and I held back a yelp. I cursed mentally when the last creature flipped over me and onto its feet. I leapt up and slashed through it, catching it by surprise. It shuddered for a minute, its guard being completely down. Taking the chance, I sliced through it two more times and watched as it faded at last. _

_The Keyblade blinked out of my grasp in a white light. I took this chance to take a breather. I glanced around at my surroundings, wondering what to do next. A small chime resounded from behind me, and slowly I turned to face whatever it was. There, a circle with a crown design sparkled brilliantly, leaving a small and decorated treasure chest in its leave. I strolled to it in curiosity, and in a glimmer of light, the Keyblade appeared once again._

_"This thing is seriously confusing me. It only seems to appear when I'm in danger, or when there's something sparkly around!" I exclaimed tiredly to no one in particular. I then proceeded to lightly tap the chest, which it opened to reveal a potion._

_"Aww, seriously? Would it kill them to at least leave me a rare jewel or something?" Startled from my soon-to-be rant, a bright light blinded me for a complete minute. _

_After my eyes had adjusted to the dull lighting, I turned around only to run into a large pink door. I rubbed my face and groaned out loud, "This is going to take a while, isn't it?"_

_'Be careful. Beyond that door lies a completely different world. But don't be afraid. Don't stop walking... '_

_Taking the voices' words to heart, I ran through the door, not knowing that it would lead me to a very dangerous battle._

_Nearly an hour later, I woke up from battling a white creature on steroids, and I found myself in a pale white room. Standing on a platform was the blonde girl, who wore a soft smile. I took a step forward and as I opened my mouth to speak, she placed a pale finger to her lips as if to tell me to wait._

_"My name is Namine." She pointed to herself, keeping her smile plastered on her face. There was a small pause, in which we both stared at each other. "Roxas... Do you remember your true name?" Her voice was soft, as if speaking delicately to a small child._

_Surprising the both of us, a tall cloaked man pulled her up from her arm._

_"Say no more Namine." His voice resonated deeply within the room. Namine began to protest._

_"But if no one tells him, Roxas will—!" Namine was sharply interrupted._

_"It's best he doesn't know the truth." My eyes widened in rage as realization hit me._

_"Hey! You're that pick-pocket!" I hunched forward slightly, but was distracted by a dark portal that was summoned by the man. "Huh?" I backed up, not wanting to go into the dark mass. I felt the back of my shirt twist as the man took a handful and tossed me in. I didn't see much else because everything went black._

***end flashback***

**

* * *

**

After that, I woke up only to see that Seifer was standing in front of me taking pictures. We then began a short conversation about what the creatures were, but were interrupted by Hayner, Olette, and Pence walking in. There was then a huge misunderstanding between Hayner and I. He thought I ditched them and our second chance at the beach for a day with the Disciplinary Committee (Which is Seifer and his gang, by the way.). I tried to cheer him up by saying the stupidest things ever. In the end, he got mad and has been avoiding me since.

Then at the tournament, we duked it out against each other, throwing hits left and right. The crazy thing was that we made up in the middle of the fight. We were tied for the first thirty seconds, but after applying some moves that I used on the creatures from the day before, I ended up winning by ten balls. I can still remember the look on his face as he lay panting on the ground... (Yuck! Get your minds out of the gutter!)

* * *

***flash back***

_There was a small crowd gathered around the Sandlot, where the grand Struggle Tournament was to be taken place. I panted lightly from my jog here, knowing that I was going to be late if I hadn't. I glanced around for my friends, or at least someone I knew. I shook my head, realizing the uselessness at this point, seeing as the games were about to begin. I ran off towards the referee to sign in._

***third person***

_"Who are you gonna' root for?" Pence turned to face his long-time friend, Olette, who only giggle in response._

_"Both of them, silly!" Both friends turned to the announcer, who began his speech._

_"Ladies and gentlemen, Struggle-fiends of Twilight Town! It's time for summer's most sizzling clash!" He paused for a moment, savoring the crowd's woots and hollers. He was a man of his mid-forties and enjoyed taking part in the events that went around the town. "Thaaat's right! Today is the day for the Struggle and Title match! Who will be the one to break through the ranks and take on our champion, Setzer!" He lifted his arms to wave them around for emphasis, getting the citizens to go wild._

_"Seifer, y'know!" Rai exclaimed loudly, encouraging and boosting his support for the tall, blonde leader._

_Ignoring the outburst, the announcer continued on, as if nothing had interrupted him at all._

_"And who will leave today as our new Struggle champion!"_

_"Hayner! Roxas!" Olette and Pence countered Rai's outburst with their own, leaving the announcer slightly annoyed by the interruptions._

_"Setzeerrrrrrrrrrr!" A crowd of screaming fan girls all chanted to their beloved god, a pompous, silver-haired man wearing a deep purple coat. He smirked at the glorious attention, while the announcer now forced the smile to be kept on his face. He loved his job, but it could get frustrating when there were interruptions._

_"Yes, the crowd is fired up, so you know what comes next: Let's..." He paused for a moment, causing excitement to fill the air at the next words shouted from the lips of the town's people's lips._

_"STRUGGLE!" There were several 'pop's from the fireworks set off, causing the people to awe and exclaim their love for the competition._

_"Hey, now. It's time to introduce today's combatants!" A younger, dirty-blonde announcer took place of the previous man, who had gone off the stage with Setzer, last year's champion when the fireworks began. "The four bad boys who struggled their way through the preliminaries! Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee: Seifer!" _

_At the mention of his name, Seifer gave a smirk from his position against the wall, next to the stage._

_"Completely out of nowhere—who knew he'd make it so far this year? Vivi!" The announcer went on, as usual without interruptions._

_The crowd was flabbergasted at the mention of the almost silent young teen._

_"An underground favorite and local attitude problem: Hayner! It's his first trip to the finals!"_

_Hayner scowled at the laughter emitting from the people around him. He glanced to the other side of the platform at Roxas, who met his gaze evenly._

_"And Struggler number four, who happens to be my absolute favorite customer: Roxas!"_

_Roxas broke his regretful gaze with Hayner and turned his attention, almost sorrowfully towards the announcer._

_"So—who will win this sweltering summer Struggle! Who will take home the prize! The summa cum laude of Struggle—the Four Crystal Trophy!"_

_The competitors all set their sights on the trophy. It stood in all its almost two-foot glory. It was an interesting and intricate design, with its four navy-blue tendrils curling into itself and holding the rare blue, yellow, red-orange, and green crystals. It stood next to the mayor of Twilight Town, who also happened to be the announcer from before._

_"AND—a chance to take on our defending champion, Setzer!" Said man held up a large, golden belt that held another identical and equally rare four crystals. "It won't be long now, folks! I suggest our challengers go over the official Struggle Rules before we begin!" The young announcer gave a bright smile before stepping off the stage._

_Cheers resonated throughout the lot, but began to dwindle as many took this break as a chance to carry out extra activities before the game begun._

_Friends and many citizens wished the four lucky winners good luck before they were off to hear the rules._

_"And how in the world did this happen...?" Roxas found himself whispering in disbelief as he walked towards Hayner and the Mayor._

_"Alright boys, you know the rules! Play fair now, and good luck!" The Mayor patted both boys on the back before walking—no—skipping off stage. _

_Without waiting another moment, Hayner quickly jumped back and pointed his large blue struggle bat towards Roxas. His face was void of all emotion save for concentration and silent dread._

_Roxas stood still, unknowingly giving a remorseful glance at his best friend. He shook his head lightly before stepping back, deaf to the cheers._

_"Hey... Sorry about yesterday." Hayner, taken slightly off guard, stepped out of his stance with a look of disbelief across his face._

_"What, you still worried about that? You need to learn to let that stuff go." The young teen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before raising a brow towards Roxas' still form. He shook his head._

_"I've got a lot on my mind." Roxas let out a tired sigh, ignoring the impatient cheers._

_"Sorry, man. Wait, what am _**I**_ sorry for! Man, what would Hoshi do to us right now!" Hayner waved his arms wildly in mock frustration, knowing full well that had the strawberry-blonde been there, she would have gotten on stage and slapped the two over their heads, insulted them, and then proceed to jump off stage calling out a 'Hurry your asses up! We don't have all day you know!' over her shoulder as she went. _

_Knowing he was forgiven, and getting the same mental picture as Hayner, Roxas gave out the biggest smile he had ever given in days. Both them leapt apart and got ready for the match to begin._

_Olette and Pence, who had been watching the whole ordeal intently, gave off bright smiles at each other, knowing what had just taken place._

_"Our first match of today's Struggle tournament will be between Roxas and his best friend Hayner!" With the announcement said and done, the timer began._

_With barely any time to dodge a frontal attack from Hayner, Roxas ducked to the floor and tripped his opponent's feet from under him, earning himself three of Hayner's points. Roxas took a deep breath before jumping up at the same time as Hayner and engaged in an almost even battle. Slashes were thrown from right to left, ticking with the shortening time. Hayner grunted as he lost four more points, but gave a satisfied smirk when he earned another three in return._

_Roxas then noticed that Hayner's movements were beginning to turn sluggish and erratic, letting him know that he had a chance to win. Silently, and while Hayner was distracted with collecting orbs, Roxas ran as fast as his feet could carry him and pounded his friend's side with his bat. The count-down beginning, the spiky-haired blonde quickly collected the orbs that fell from Hayner's gear._

_"And that's it! Time's up! Now let's wait and see what the judges have to say, because from here it's a pretty close match!" The crowd cheered in response with both blondes waiting impatiently for the ball-count to be over._

_The announcer leapt up on the stage and walked towards the judges. He nodded and walked over to Roxas, who was standing in the middle of the stage. He gave the blonde a large smile._

_"And the winner is Roxas!" the older male held the winner's hand up as a sign of victory. "Not even friendship will slow this kid down. And Hayner put up a great fight, too." With that said, the crowd went wild. Roxas nodded to the older man and then walked over to his fallen friend who was spread-eagle across the ground._

_"I lost! Awww, I can't believe it!" Hayner whined with a pout before standing up. "Ugh... I guess I taught you well." He gave off a bright grin, one that rivaled Roxas' own._

_"I had a lot of fun fighting you." Roxas responded modestly._

_"Yeah, well I didn't, wise guy." He folded his arms and looked away from his buddy, giving a childish pout to no one in particular._

_"Hey, let's find a way to cheer you up." Roxas patted Hayner in sympathy._

_"Nah, that's alright." With that, Hayner pushed Roxas' hand away and playfully punched Roxas, who held his hands up in defense. Both laughed joyfully, enjoying the time they had._

_"Out of the way." Seifer roughly pushed past the boys in question, who only stared the older blonde down in annoyance._

_"You in a rush to lose?" Hayner called out bitterly, causing the young man to momentarily pause in his rampage._

_A quiet, almost hysterical laugh came from Roxas' side, startling the poor boy. Vivi laughed once more, before walking away from the teens and to the center of the stage. Roxas and Hayner only shook their heads in disbelief before heading towards their awaiting friends._

***End Flashback***

**

* * *

**

After that little spat, Vivi ended up winning the battle against Seifer. I really couldn't believe my eyes as the little guy knocked down the bigger guy. I couldn't actually believe that this was little Vivi, who followed around his role-model, Seifer. My suspicions were confirmed when Seifer stated the simple fact that it simply **wasn't **Vivi.

I was wished luck when it was my turn to battle it out with Vivi, and seriously? I **needed** it.

* * *

***Flashback, Roxas' pov, first person***

_"Keep it clean, fellas." The mayor told us. _

_I stood next to Vivi as the mayor handed our struggle bats to us and gave us pats on the back (in my case) and pats to the head (In Vivi's case). Without a second to waste, my opponent somewhat walked—somewhat waddled to his place on the other side of the platform._

_"And now, the match you've been waiting for: Roxas vs. Vivi!" The crowd cheered and betted against whom was to win and who was to come back empty-handed._

_I took a deep breath before placing my left foot forward and relaxing into my battle stance. I stared intently at Vivi, who only stood with a blank face. I blinked at the intensive malice rolling off the younger teen in tons. My heart sped up when I realized I was to make the first move._

_It seemed as if someone was playing a sick joke on me when I moved forward and clashed bats at the same time that Vivi had. Reacting too late at his speed, I was rewarded with a hard blow to my side. I grunted as I ran to collect what little was left of the blue orbs left at my wake. And eerie laugh from the boy caused the hair on the back of my hair to stick up. He decided to make his move again._

_I was prepared this time when he came flying at me, poised to strike. I forced my movements to become faster, and I rolled away, bringing the bat up with enough force to throw him away and earn me points. Vivi—no... __**It **__cackled in delight when the atmosphere intensified._

_I ran as fast as my feet could take me to where the thing was cackling and letting its guard down. I raised the blue bat over my head to strike it down when suddenly, everything froze. My eyes widened largely and I lowered my arms to turn and gaze at the frozen faces of the many people that I know._

_The Vivi imposter blinked up at me before a bright light took its place. I covered my eyes in pain, having looked at it while it was at its brightest. A familiar 'swish' sound was heard and I only had to blink a few times to see the creature that had been harassing me the past few days._

_"Again!" I exclaimed, which seemed to have upset the creature. Two more appeared and they surrounded me as best as they could. I felt a change of weight and a smooth and cool surface appear in my hand where the struggle bat was supposed to be. I glanced down and was surprised to see the familiar key-shaped blade that the guy in my dreams always carried around. "Again?" I repeated much softly this time._

_Without much time to waste, the three creatures jumped towards me. With skill I didn't even know I had, I rolled to the side and slashed at a creature twice across the mid-section, making it fade into a grey light. I ducked and avoided getting my head chopped off before jumping in front of the two that remained. Having no creative thoughts, I repeated the same thing I did with the first one, and watched in a sort of sad satisfaction as they faded. I was left slightly breathless, and I wondered why things hadn't gone back to normal._

_**Thump! Thump! Thump!**_

_I would be lying if I said that I didn't jump in fright at the mysterious noise. I glanced around, but found nothing. Suddenly, clapping caught my attention. I swerved to face the intruder, knowing that something or someone would always appear after facing the white jump-suit like creatures._

_"Roxas. All right. Fight, fight, fight." Though he was cloaked in black, his voice conveyed amusement, and slight apprehension. He strolled along casually, as if speaking to an old friend. "You really don't remember?" His question was more stated, which only caused a head ache of confusion to pound against my skull. "It's me. You know..." He paused slightly before dramatically pulling his hood off. "Axel."_

_He was a tall, lanky redhead with blazing emerald eyes. On his face were two neat upside-down tear drops that seemed to compliment his sardonic smirk. This only confused me even more. Why would I have to remember someone I had surely never met before? _

_"Axel?" I question in a way that would insult many people._

_"Talk about blank with a capital 'B.' Man oh man, even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one." In less than a second after the last word left his mouth, a burst of fire surrounded his hands before fading and leaving behind two red and white circular weapons._

_"Wait a sec, tell me what's going on!" I figured that since this guy claims to know me, then he might know what is going on with me._

_"This town is his creation, right? Which means we don't have time for a Q & A." He spoke as if one is casually stating that the sky is blue, not bothering to be the least bit concerned. "You're coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story." _

_(Wait a MINUTE! First he acts as if he's visiting an old friend, and now he wants to KIDNAPP me? What is this world coming to, dang it? )_

_I watched warily as he got into an odd stance, as if he was going to start twirling around and dance in a moment of notice. Before anything could happen, the air around me began to shift and become distorted, like one would see if there was an intense wave of heat, but much more extreme._

_"Uh-oh." Axel grunted out, knowing he was caught. I was getting frustrated, and quickly._

_"Urghhh." I growled and held the Keyblade up to my face. Flashes of many things I didn't understand went through my mind at that moment, and in a fit of rage I threw the shiny hunk of metal in the direction that Axel stood. I looked up in surprise. "What's going on!"_

_In an odd fleeting moment, the blade disappeared from the ground. "Eh?" In a flash and small winds, the blade reappeared in the same hand that I had thrown it in._

_"Number Thirteen. Roxas. The Keyblade's chosen one." The red head spoke with such calmness, that it irked me that I had no idea what he was babbling about._

_"Okay, you asked for it!" I shouted in a rage. _

***End Flashback* **

* * *

And the next few moments were such a blur to me that I had no idea what happened. One thing was clear though; I met the 'creator' of this world: DiZ, and I had beat Setzer and became Twilight Town's new Struggle Champion. Hoshi would've jumped me the second I got off stage and yelled something about winning a bunch of money off of some fan girls who betted against me. She probably would've kissed me right on the cheek like she always does when one of us makes her extremely happy.(Or makes her win a large amount of money...) But then again...she would have been there if she was awake.

**- The Fourth Day: After Tournament -**

***Still Roxas' POV first person***

We sat around lazily on top of the clock tower. I held my trophy on my lap and I snapped the yellow crystal off. I stared at it for a minute, waiting for Olette to turn to catch. Getting the chance, I tossed it to her and quickly snapped the red-orange and the green ones off.

"Oh!"

"Huh?"

"Ah!"

Finally, I snapped the pretty blue one—_'Which remind me of Hoshi's eyes'_—and gently placed the trophy behind me.

"As promised..." I stated, not really noticing how serene I sounded, and only paid attention to the sparkling rock as I held it to the light.

"Thanks a ton, Roxas!" Pence mimicked my movements and held his green crystal up to watch it sparkle in the setting sun.

"Heh. One more treasure for us to share." Like a chain reaction, Hayner held his orange crystal up to the light.

"I've got a present, too... for all of us!" Olette exclaimed happily.

Knowing exactly what it was, I stumbled a bit when I stood up, impatient for the 'icing on the cake'. I wobbled a bit before completely slipping off. I let out a yell before even that was drowned out by the strange noise of a TV with no signal.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**Hoshi: Well, how's about that cliff-hanger?**

**Akumu: Ah hah…. Sorry. The original chapter was like….forty pages on word. So I decided to cut it down and update separately. ._.U Thank you Aki, my beta, for pointing that out. This is only about seventeen pages and the word-count is up to about 5,700 or something.**

**Riku: …. **

**Sora: What he means is that Akumu here just wants to make up for her long absence. The next parts are going to be a BLAST.**

**All: See ya soon~!**


	6. AN: IMPORTANT 2

**STORY WILL BE REWRITTEN.**

**Some of you (mainly my old readers) may be wondering why I decided to do this all of the sudden. (Newer readers can just skip over this and go straight to the next chapter if you'd like.) You see, my writer's block has come to the point where I'm irritated at everything I'd written. I just couldn't move on from the place I was stuck at. So then I went back and re-read my stories. **

**I'm not satisfied with them at all. **

**Yes, I like the over-all plot I had planned, but there were missing pieces that were vital to get to the plot… On top of that, I would have had to put this in the cross-over section for Bleach and KH! I also don't like my lack of character development for Hoshi and find that her name kind of doesn't fit with the over-all game. Think about it: Only Sora, Kairi, Riku, Yuna, Yuffie, and Rikku (did I miss anyone?) have legit Japanese names out of the fifty plus characters in the over-all plot. But eh, when one's unsatisfied: change. Then again, I might just modify her name like I'm doing with the chapters…**

**The changes aren't too major, but they are centralized around Hoshi (now Vitalia Jophiel). She's coming from an original world this time, and certain other things will be edited as well. Fear not though! The chapters will be similar to the originals yet~!**

**I'm already working on a new prologue and it should be out sometime this or next week. **

**Thanks for sticking with me for this long, but the change was long over-do.**

**If you have any questions, I will gladly answer them as soon as I can!**

* * *

**EDIT:**

**As of today (December 14/15, 2011), the prologue and chapter one have been replaced with the newer chapters. Chapters three and four should be coming in sometime this week or the next.**


End file.
